Mark Walker wins Capital One Classic at Ellendale

Mark Walker led wire-to-wire for his victory in the Capital One Classic at the Ellendale Country Club on Sunday. Walker shot a final round 68 to finish at minus 15 for the tournament, four strokes better than runner-up Adam Swope, who also shot a 68.

The win, part of the Adams Golf Pro Tour Series, netted Walker $15,000.

In just three starts on the tour this season, Walker is 46 under par, has won by a combined 10 shots and tallied $45,000.

Walker, a Hurst, Texas, native, entered the final round with a two-stroke lead over last year’s tournament winner, Adam Meyers. Meyers pulled to within one stroke of Walker after six holes.

Meyers sliced his tee shot left on the seventh hole and the ball went into the pond. That was the beginning of his slide as he shot a final round 74 to finish in ninth.

Houma natives Werlein Prosperie and Andrew Sledge missed the cut, shooting 10 over and 15 over, respectively.

The biggest winner of the four-day tournament was the Children’s Coalition for the Bayou Region.

The fifth annual tournament raised $30,000 for the coalition, which hopes to build a Children’s Services Center in the Tri-parish area.

“This year’s event was a good success and we hope to be back again as we have every year,” said Brian Dennis, executive director of the Children’s Coalition for the Bayou Region.

Adams Pro Tour Series director Tyler Wolford also wants to return to Ellendale next year, but the date may be different.

“I’m positive we will be back next year,” said Wolford. “It’s just a matter of sitting down with everybody involved over the next month or two and deciding on a date for the event – earlier in April or late May, early June to get a good date in there.”

The reason for the possible date change is to attract even more spectators to the tournament.

“There were some other things going on that kept more spectators from coming out to the course that probably would have shown up otherwise – Jazz Fest in New Orleans and the Firemen’s Fair over in Thibodaux,” said Wolford.

No matter when the tournament is held, the tour and its golfers know they will be treated like family.

“We always love coming down to Houma,” said Wolford. “Every year it gets better and better. The one thing we love and the players love is the hospitality down here.”

Mark Walker shot a final 68 Sunday, finishing 15 strokes under to win the Capital One Classic at Ellendale Country Club. * Photo couresty of Capital One Classic